The Philly Mag 50

11. Standard Tap

Standard Tap’s excellent menu of local microbrews on draft, thoughtfully selected wines by the glass, rocking jukebox and laid-back vibe make it appealing just as a bar. But the Tap is also the city’s first and best “gastropub,” serving up food so good that we go there just to eat. The minimalist blackboard menu describes the offerings in one or two words: Squid, Smelts, Duck Salad. But behind the restrained terminology are exuberant flavors that exemplify the gastro aspect of the pub. Think slowly braised lamb shanks, grilled hanger steak, and the best duck confit in Philly. Bar standards are also solid: The burger is large and juicy, garlicky mussels are perfumed by spicy sausage, and the roast pork sandwich is so moist, it’s best attacked with a fork and knife. The waitstaff is generally good, in a hipster way, and the wood-accented dining rooms are much more pleasant since the smoking ban went into effect. The laissez-faire seating policy can be frustrating during busy times; one finds a table mostly by luck, lurking or pure chutzpah. But we’ll do a little hovering to partake of the Philadelphia equivalent of a Parisian bistro: a casual, comfortable place for quality food and drink. For more information

12. Fountain Restaurant

There is no future in French fine dining — at least, not at the pomp and price point of the restaurants that once stood at the pinnacle of the city’s dining scene. But that hasn’t slowed Fountain Restaurant, which continues to execute those rich, almost ritualistic meals — from aperitif to gold-ribboned chocolates — in its lavish dining room overlooking the Swann Fountain. A hotel restaurant, with a polite never-say-no policy, the Fountain has always been more accessible than the locked doors of Le Bec-Fin, and it has proven more limber. For the traditionalist, there’s a 40-plus-page wine list (with amiable, and expense-conscious, wine stewards), time-consuming stocks and dense cream sauces, and extravagant truffle-lobster-caviar menu options. But the kitchen also shows sparks of polished modernity in its often playful amuse-bouches, on the popular tasting menu, and in the adjacent Swann Lounge. And the graceful waitstaff delivers both with the formal French flourish the restaurant’s reputation demands. Make a reservation now

13. Birchrunville Store Cafe

This tiny BYOB at a quiet crossroads in deep Chester County is a few winding roads and tricky turns from anywhere. But it’s worth cursing at MapQuest to experience chef Francis Trzeciak’s French-Italian cooking. Trzeciak has a skill for balancing rustic pâtés and textbook cheese soufflés with more surprising dishes like braised veal cheeks, or sea bass ceviche treated with squid ink. Entrées tend toward the classic — rack of lamb with rosemary, or filet of beef with wild mushrooms — but Trzeciak also updates these ideas; emulsions, layered purées and intense reductions add a contemporary spark. We might grouse that a few of these sauces appear in multiple dishes, but it’s hard to complain when they accent the food so well. The chef has a love of wild game, so pheasant, partridge, venison, boar and buffalo make frequent appearances. Despite the Birchrunville Store Cafe‘s remote location, many of the diners are regulars with standing reservations, and the service is accordingly friendly and homey. Weekend reservations are understandably hard to come by, so plan well ahead. But it’s a Thursday-night spot we crave, for the (schedule in advance) $65 six-course tasting menu — the best way to relish all of Trzeciak’s talents. For more information

14. Supper

Supper’s a newbie, but we’ve placed it so high on our list because of the oh-so-many things it’s doing oh-so-right, right now — and its obvious potential. There’s the casual-but-polished dining room anchored by an approachable bar (pouring quartinos of wine — our new fave). There’s the slightly daring location on a neither-here-nor-there stretch of South Street. There’s the sized-just-right plates. And there’s the food on those plates. While the occasional item could use a little more thought (a recent marinated octopus dish with miso dressing left much to be desired, and desserts are only fair), most are brilliantly conceived, with flavors that force you to savor every bite slowly. Squash gnocchi is almost sauceless, yet plenty moist and punched up with finely sliced sweet-braised radicchio and salty Italian bacon. And chef Mitch Prensky reinvents ingredients without resorting to a science degree, as in a sweetbread dish where creamed, licorice-infused Swiss chard has an apple-like texture. The few quibbles we have are no doubt because of the bar Supper has already set so high. Make a reservation now

15. Le Bar Lyonnais

There’s just something about Le Bar Lyonnais — ring the doorbell for admittance, then sneak past the hostess, down the stairs, beyond the coatroom — that makes you feel like you’ve discovered the inner sanctum of Philadelphia. It’s a place out of time, an upholstered clubhouse of sorts for those Philadelphians who can linger over — and afford — a three-hour, three-bottles-of-burgundy lunch. (That’s a dying breed; the restaurant is now serving lunch only on Friday and Saturday.) It’s here that Georges Perrier relaxes while his diners practice their posture in the whisper-please formal dining room of Le Bec-Fin above, and here that those-who-know head after the dessert cart. But for all that, the casually elegant subterranean room, with its small, well-tended bar and handful of tables, is surprisingly welcoming. The menu applies Le Bec’s almost 40 years of talent to French standards, and there’s no place in town we’d rather sit down to the classics: onion soup topped with blistered gruyère, vinegary frisée salad with crisp lardons and a tender poached egg, and a glass of that burgundy. For more information

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